A two-day Food Security Crisis Preparedness Plan Validation workshop took place at the Murray Heights Hotel, Kingstown.
Stakeholders from the Ministry of Agriculture along with various Government Agencies and NGOs, convened with the World Bank to undertake the crucial task of reviewing the National Food Security Crisis Preparedness Plan.
In his role as Chairman of the workshop, Ruthvin Harper emphasised that this exercise began in 2024, leading to the creation of a document that requires validation by the attendees prior to being submitted to the Cabinet for approval and ratification.
Renato Gumbs, the Chief Agricultural Officer, highlighted the significance of data in establishing the criteria that would clarify when and why a situation may be deemed a crisis.
Winston Dawes, Senior Agricultural Economist representing the World Bank, articulated that his institution hopes for the Ministry of Agriculture to take ownership of the plan as a collective national initiative. He disclosed that the World Bank is undertaking the same process in various Caribbean nations. He stated that it should be “country-specific” and emphasised that the plan enables a country to better mobilise funding and resources to respond to a crisis promptly.
Cuthbert Knights, the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour, delivered the keynote address, referencing the 1996 World Food Summit’s definition of food security, which emphasised the necessity for food to be accessible.
